The first thing you will want to do is install the SWS extensions. These are community-based add-ons to Reaper which extend the functionality significantly. They can be downloaded from the official SWS Extensions site.

Coloured waveforms using spectral peaks

Spectral peaks are a way to add colour to your waveforms – something which is more than an aesthetic choice. By colour-coding your frequencies, you can edit much better. This does come with a bit of a learning curve, but the different colours represent different sounds that are made with the mouth. For example, a high-frequency blue area of the audio is likely to be a hissing sound, perhaps an “sss” or “sh”.

You can also identify problem pops and bumps by looking for low-frequency (red) spikes in the audio which may indicate the microphone has been bumped.

These colour-coded waveforms make editing and finding problems a lot easier. To get the feature, you can open up the actions menu and toggle the Peaks: Toggle spectral peaks action. To edit the colours and view, you can select the action View: Show peaks display settings.

Split and ripple delete – Rapid actions to help you

When editing a podcast, you are likely to need to split and chop audio rapidly. There will be plenty of unwanted pauses, coughs, and other irrelevant content that can be chopped down to reduce the playtime and tidy the audio up.

While this can be done manually with the mouse and keyboard shortcuts, you can further refine the workflow to massively increase the speed of editing, thus, saving time.

The two custom actions I want to show you are refined ripple delete actions. Ripple deleting is a useful editing technique where you split the audio around an unwanted part, then delete it, shifting everything after it back to close the gap.

If you are unfamiliar with Reaper’s Custom Actions, I highly recommend you read this more in-depth guide.

In the instance of a cough, you would make a cut before and after the cough, delete it, then the audio that follows it would snap backwards and connect as if the cough was never there.

The first custom action requires you to split the audio manually (I use keyboard shortcut S to split at the cursor). IT is a custom action with two actions chained together:

Custom: Ripple Delete

• Script: X-Raym_Delete selected items and ripple edit adjacent items.lua
• Item Navigation: Move cursor left to edge of item.

This simple custom item will delete the unwanted audio, snap the next bit of audio back to join the gap, then move the cursor to the edit point.

The second edit is even more streamlined. It allows you to skip the audio splitting by dragging the mouse and making a selection over the audio you want rid of, then following the same action. It has these component actions:

Custom: Ripple Delete at time selection

• Item: Split items at selection
• Custom: Ripple delete [where this action is the one outlined above]
• Time Selection: Remove time selection and loop points

This example is a good one to demonstrate Reaper’s ability to add custom actions within other custom actions as part of a larger chain. You could add additional actions within it depending on where you want the cursor to go too, as outlined below.

Auto-remove silence

Another really useful custom action is to automatically remove silence. This is a great one if you have long pauses that you need rid of. The way it works is it tells Reaper to select any parts quieter than a defined threshold and delete them. This can be tweaked to allow brief pauses – something natural in conversation – and only remove silences longer than a defined time.

Custom: Remove silence and snap together

• Item: Auto Trim/Split items (remove silence)
• Script: mpl_Snap selected items to each other.lua

When you run this action, it will bring up a menu that allows you to define the volume, below which is silence. It will also ask you what length of silence to ignore. I tend to set it to ignore silences shorter than 5000ms (5 seconds).

Save chain FX

When you have finished editing and mixing an episode, it is very likely that the next episode will have the same presenter using the same microphone. There is no point going to all the trouble to set up you mixing FX and sound adjustments from scratch each time, so you can save your FX chains for later use.

Once you have made an FX chain you like, you can save it via File > Save FX Chain. By bringing up the FX menu and selecting File > Add FX Chain, you can bring up previous FX chains that you have saved.

The post How to speed up podcast editing in Reaper appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

AI is one of the coolest and scariest human creations. It has progressed leaps and bounds in recent history, getting closer to being indistinguishable from humans. From image recognition to text generation, it can automate a lot of tasks. The following article is written by an AI called GPT-J-6B as an experiment to see what wisdom we can glean from it. I have highlighted some of the funny parts in italics where the AI has gone a bit off-topic, but most people will be impressed with some of the generic wisdom available!

Tips for increasing songwriting productivity by GPT-J-6B

When I worked as a songwriter, it was tempting to find excuses to write less. I enjoyed listening to my recordings and I had the luxury of time. But one of the biggest misconceptions about being a successful songwriter is thinking that you only get what you give.

Here are some tips to help you write better songs and increase your productivity:

Your favourite songs – listen to them

As I mentioned earlier, I was influenced by songs as a teenager. I would copy whole songs and create my own in different genres. You’re a writer, so you’ll understand.

It also helps to analyse the songs you like. How did the writer craft it? Did they have a plot? Do you like the chorus or the bridge? Did they use a particular instrument? Did they use effects on it? How did they create the melody? This is a good exercise to do before you write.

Read books and articles about the craft of songwriting

I was lucky to be around people like Justin Stanley, who took me under his wing and introduced me to his curriculum of studying songwriting. It was then that I discovered books like Playing in the Dark – Stephen King, The Psychotic Kingdom – R.E. Murray, and Secrets of Songwriting – William. It didn’t take long for me to realise that the craft of songwriting is a science. I picked up other books and that was how I discovered my other science, PR!

At the same time, I studied my craft by going to a workshop run by a songwriting academy I used to work at. I still remember the icebreaker that followed: ‘Have you written any songs in the past six months?’ They would take it from there. They could gauge your progress and if you were losing momentum, they would encourage you. It didn’t matter whether you were the absolute best musician or composer in the room, you needed to write songs.

Take lessons from great songwriters

I would also pick the brains of my idols like Tom Waits, Dave Matthews and Neil Young. I’d soak up their knowledge and try to incorporate some of their techniques.

This way, it was like they were my teachers. I think you need a mentor. Find someone in your industry who can teach you the craft of songwriting. If you can’t find one, ask a colleague who’s good at it to give you tips.

As you gain more experience, you can always add a master to your list.

Rely on the tools you need to write songs

My main tools were a guitar, a piano, an MP3 recorder, a DAW, and a pencil. I would only write if I felt there was a strong story behind it. I’d also try and sit in a similar position to the listener so I could hear things I wouldn’t otherwise.

Learn to write about yourself

As a singer-songwriter, I can write about other people better than I can write about myself. The first two songs I wrote were about my ex-boyfriends. The third was about my current relationship.

As you get deeper into the craft of songwriting, it becomes harder to talk about yourself. You have to get rid of the restraints and fear to delve deep.

My music reflects the journey I’m on, and so I make it public to help other people on the same journey.

Go through old songs

Another good tool is to go back to old songs that you wrote. Find out why you wrote them, why you liked them, why they’re successful, and what can you learn. All of these songs won’t turn out as good as you want them to be.

It’s an exercise to help you get over that hump, so you can create something better. Strive to complete songs If you’re not creating, you’re not progressing. I’d say for every 10 songs you write, take four of them to the next level.

Create a process for yourself

Write, write and write. Then, you’ll be able to identify areas of weakness. Try to work with that to grow and improve. As you grow, your ideas will expand.

I remember I used to feel pressure that I’d write a song and the lyrics were no good. After some time, I realised that if I just kept writing and writing, I’d eventually come up with something better.

It doesn’t matter if the song is great, it just matters that you keep pushing and keep working.

Write anywhere

As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed listening to my recordings. One thing I noticed was that I’d write anywhere. There was no ideal environment.

It was always strange when the music started playing in public and I didn’t know who it was. That would make me question myself.

Whether you’re writing a song in the studio, or you’re writing a love song while riding the bus, make it happen. Music should never stop just because you’re having a bad day.

It’s very, very rewarding to listen to your songs, but it also feels good to know that you helped someone else through their day. I would never dismiss your music when you’re writing it down because there’s the potential to help others. It feels good to know you can help somebody else and it’s a nice reflection on your life.

It’s a horrible feeling if you’re having a bad day and you’re singing, ‘I hate myself’, over and over again. You’re not going to enjoy the process.

Celebrate your songs

I would listen to my music in the morning and put my headphones on before I would go to sleep. It made me happy to hear it. I never got sick of it because I wasn’t listening to the same song over and over again.

With the release of one new song, I had to think of the next. I could go months and months without any new music. It was very difficult, but it’s one of the reasons I’ve achieved as much as I have. I was constantly honing my craft. The reason it was hard was because of the time it took to come up with the next one.

If you stop for too long, you lose all momentum. Finish everything that you start Another of my philosophies is to finish everything that you start. In case there’s anything you didn’t feel like doing, it will sit there like a pile of rubbish. It’s good to let it go and move on. In the worst-case scenario, you’ll pick it up and refocus on the current project.

The post I asked AI to write a songwriting tutorial, here’s what it said… appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

It’s time to explore some of the feature in Ableton that are hidden or less obvious. Even if you think you’ve got the hang of Ableton, you’ll find little hidden features that you wish you knew sooner.

A word of caution: there may be several smug people commenting that they already knew these features. Don’t feel put off, there are so many cool tricks and options in a DAW that it takes lots of time to learn it all.

EQ Eight allows selecting and dragging multiple bands

This may not be the most revolutionary in the list, but it is a great feature that isn’t immediately apparent. It is especially useful for finding creative EQ curves – simply make some odd shapes and drag the curve around until it sounds good on your audio.

It also works well for previewing certain EQ automations. Let’s say you are creating a build to a heavy drop, and you want the peaks and notches to sweep up the frequency range, you can preview such sweeps here, before you individually automate them.

SEE ALSO: Ableton 11 to be released soon. Here’s what’s new…

M/S EQing

Speaking of EQ Eight, it has a really cool M/S feature that you might not have tried yet. On the far right, you can select the drop-down mode and select M/S mode to further enhance the Mid/Side processing. It is great for brightening up the stereo width, while still keeping the centre stage tightly controlled

SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between Compressor and Glue Compressor

Warp multiple tracks at once

This is a key feature if you have multiple mics set up or different tracks for each drum.

You can actually warp multiple tracks simultaneously by highlighting them all before you go into the warp setting.

Cymatics have made a fantastic video guide to demonstrate this.

To get this to work you need to ensure all the clips are exactly the same length, but after that, you should be good to go.

Reverb has a quality mode that you NEED to use

This one is possibly the most obvious on the list, yet I regularly see and hear from people that never knew it was under their noses.

The Reverb stock plugin has a truly transformative control in its centre. If you look at the Quality drop-down box, you may find your Reverb plugin has been defaulted to Eco mode.

Switch this to a higher quality mode immediately and save that as the default preset.

The difference is truly insane, turning Reverb from a fairly disgusting effect into one that sounds much more up to scratch with a pro DAW.

SEE ALSO: Ableton EQ Eight, EQ Three, and Channel EQ – what’s the difference?

Utility has a M/S mode

Utility is one of those effects that just continues to be useful throughout the production stages.

While it has a pretty good width knob, it can be a bit problematic with certain sounds.

Enter Mid/Side (M/S) mode. By right-clicking on the Width knob, you can change to M/S mode and use Utility to select out just the middle sounds, or the sounds exclusively in the stereo field.

It can be great for isolating vocals which are set centre, or for further processing of your track.

One great trick with this is to make a group with a Mid chain and a Side chain (don’t confuse with sidechaining).

This allows you to split the signal into two parts (Mid and Side). You can then add a compressor onto each one to compress each individually and bring out the best of the centre and wide spaces of your track.

You can have multiple instruments on one track

Ableton’s instruments can seem like they fall short of other VST synths until you start to use the modular features of racks.

One of the best ways to get more out of your sound design is to chain multiple instruments on a rack.

The benefits of doing this are huge. For example, Operator can generate some killer sounds, but it also doesn’t have a dedicated sub oscillator, so if you want to have all four working oscillators together, you need to add another instrument as a sub.

This is easy to do, simply add it into a group and create a new chain to place whatever instrument you want for the sub.

You can also add samples in another chain to really spice up your sound design.

Quick-fade shortcut

You don’t need to spend ages manually dialling in fades with Ableton. There is a really useful shortcut to do that for you.

Simply highlight the clip for the length of the fade and hit Control + Alt + F (PC) or Command + Alt + F (Mac).

This point is also a reminder to brush up on all the best shortcuts for Ableton.

Groups in groups

If you’ve recently upgraded to Ableton Live 10, your previous workflow may never have allowed for grouping within groups. Now is the time to change that!

This feature, that has been standard in many other DAWs for years allows you to make additional subgroups for certain sounds.

For example, when I’m crafting drums, I have a main drum group and within that, groups for the kick layers, hats, and snares, each with their own processing.

So if you have upgraded to Ableton Live 10 from a previous version and aren’t yet using this feature, it may be time to brush up on all the other new things that you can use!

The beats mode when warping doubles as a transient shaper

One easy feature to miss when warping is the transient feature on the Beats mode. This mode allows you to shape the transient and gating effect of drums when warping them.

Make sure to set the loop mode to “off” before you get started here simply by selecting the arrow drop-down menu and making sure it is a single arrow pointing right.

After doing this, you can change the value next to it to to alter the transient nature of the drum samples.

This effect works with other sounds but the beats mode has its own quirks which may sound pretty rough on any non-drum instrument that has been time-stretched significantly.

Rank your effects and instruments

As a default, Ableton will list the effects and instruments by alphabetical order.

This can be useful when searching for an effect but there is another option that you may like better.

By selecting the drop-down at the top, you can change sorting to a variety of options.

Probably the best option for most will be rank, which sorts your effects based on how much you use them.

What did I miss? Add your cool tricks in the comments below!

The post Ableton features you didn’t know (that you probably should) appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Getting started with making electronic music can be expensive and you may ask yourself whether you actually need a MIDI keyboard to make electronic music at home.

I want to get straight to the point and say that a MIDI keyboard is not essential for producing music, but there are a number of reasons why it is great…as well as a few alternatives you may want to consider!

For those of you very new to music production, a MIDI keyboard is generally a keyboard that you can plug into a computer or synth. It won’t make any noises by itself – unlike electric pianos – but it has a huge amount of versatility because it can control anything in a computer.

READ MORE: How to become a power user of your favourite DAW

MIDI keyboards send MIDI messages to the computer which can control pretty much any software instrument (or VST). Whether you have loaded a piano instrument or a dubstep synth, or even an orchestral ensemble, it can be controlled via your MIDI keyboard.

Alongside notes, they can also send other control signals such as faders and playback controls. As you’ll see further down, these can come at a premium, but not a drastic one.

While all good music software allows you to draw in the notes you need with a mouse, having a MIDI keyboard allows you to perform the melodies into the computer and record the grooves more naturally. When playing on a keyboard, you are jamming or performing ideas in real time.

Compare that to inputting the notes manually with a mouse, you can’t do it as the song is playing, so have much less of a feel for the music.

Do you need to know how to play piano to produce music?

No. In fact, almost all of the producers I know aren’t trained pianists. What you will find is that as you produce more and more, you do get better at playing the piano. That is, of course, provided you have been using a MIDI keyboard to record your melodies.

I am by no means any good at piano, but having spent so much of my spare time making music, I am able to play and compose things more or less on the fly with my keyboard. I can’t do anything too technical, but I can lay down the chords needed with not too much trouble.

What you will get good at (quickly) is chords and simple melodies. It is then on to you to determine how much you want to learn. Many producers go their whole lives being unable to perform back their songs on a keyboard, because the computer assistance is so great it means they can get by with minimal skill. (I’m not saying producers aren’t skilled – you still need to be musically talented – you just don’t have to be a proficient pianist to make great songs)

What MIDI keyboard should I get for music production?

I’m going to be really budget friendly with this section, because I know what it was like getting into music little money to waste on frivolities.

Basically, any MIDI keyboard that connects via USB will be best for most producers. There are a few things to consider such as size and the number of keys, and after that, you are just looking at nice-to-haves which will be a case of balancing your budget.

– Mini & Budget

If you aren’t too fussed about the “legitimate” piano experience, you may be good for a “mini” keyboard. These are cheap and compact and have small keys, but they are more than enough to record in the melodies and jam out ideas.

They generally only have a few octaves at most, so don’t expect to play two-handed. But this is good because it keeps size down.

Generally these come with “no frills” but some also have additional knobs or pads to add extra control.

– Normal-sized & Budget

These keyboards generally have 49 keys or more and use the standard key size. Because they are larger units, they are generally more expensive, but have more room for extra controls and even screens.

This is probably the best place to start if you are planning on setting up a space in your house/room for music production. The keyboards aren’t very portable and take up space on the desk, which is something worth considering if you are in a small room.

Generally you will be getting a unit for under £100 and maybe a few nice-to-haves such as pads or knobs, but it will be a simple, basic controller. You may also get some software bundled with some models, which is a very big plus when deciding on what product to buy.

– The Nice-to-haves models

These models are generally a bit more expensive and have a large range of extras on them, from screens to plenty of extra buttons, knobs, and pads.

These are good for if you want extra DAW control and can afford it, but in my honest opinion, they don’t necessarily add much.

I have a MIDI keyboard in this “tier” and I bought it for all the faders and knobs, but I probably use them <5% of the time. If you think they are something you will make use of though, they are definitely worthwhile.

Alternatives to MIDI controllers for music production

One of the best things about making music on a computer is that you aren’t limited. There are many ways to go about the same task, none of which are right.

This is true for controllers too. The main alternative is probably pad controllers such as the Maschine and the Push.

These work with drum pads and have the benefit of being better at drum programming than a MIDI keyboard. You can also assign the pads to musical notes and ply like that.

This has its benefits for those who aren’t keen at the piano and there are many ways to set pad controllers up to lock the player in a single key signature so they’ll never play out of tune.

Pad controllers tend to be pricey, but can also come with their own software. If you are into hip-hop and minimalist electronic genres such as techno and tech house, these may be more suited to you. If you are into more complex melodic compositions, then you may prefer a keyboard controller.

The post Do you need a MIDI keyboard for producing music? appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

When it comes to production tips, you tend to focus on getting the song produced. Producer Chris Lake has shared a trick for the long term, however, that is definitely a must-know for all producers.

Posting on Twitter, the hit producer explained why he can no longer revisit old tracks and how he wished he’s thought ahead.

He said: “Once you finish a track, make sure you back up that project, but take into consideration how hard it may be to open this up in 10-15 years when you could get the rights back to your single (if you released it on another label).

“Often, third party plugins won’t work the same years down the road. It’s best to bounce out stems to audio. You can always open those up in another DAW down the line. I can’t revisit so many of my old tracks because I can’t find the right files / plug-ins etc to open them.“

Other major names in the industry were quick to support his point, including Laidback Luke and Bassjackers.

Lake also said he is planning on producing some video tutorials “soon” on how he approaches his project organisation – this tip will no doubt be mentioned in it!

The reason I’m highlighting this essential grain of knowledge is because it is so easy to lose old work, and it’s something I have had the misfortune of experiencing recently.

Whether you are changing computers or switching DAWs, there are plenty of reasons why files could be corrupted or simply not compatible anymore.

The way DAWs work is they remember all your VST settings and re-load them each time you open the project. If, for example, you no longer have access to a plugin, or have somehow lost a preset, you have no copy of the original audio and have to start from scratch.

The best way to resolve this is, as Lake said, to bounce your tracks and render them to audio. That way, you also have a copy of the audio, which does not depend on software working years down the line.

The post Chris Lake shares crucial production trick to avoid ‘same mistakes I did’ appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Korg have announced their latest hardware in the form of a step sequencer, named the SQ-64, due out in 2021.

Featuring a 64-pad matrix, OLED display, and a serious set of outputs, this compact aluminium-built sequencer means business.

This device sets out to be the centrepiece in your sequencing workflow and will be able to control an assortment of hardware analogue synths, Eurorack, and drum synths.

SEE ALSO: This open-source mastering tool is free…and it actually works great!

Set to cost €299, the unit will provide “seamless control over all your instruments so you can focus on what matters most”.

Along with the 64 step sequencer pads, there are transport controls and a number of encoder knobs for expressive control.

 Each step has graduated lighting; the higher the modulation value, the stronger the button lights up to give you a clear visual on what’s going on in the sequence.

The device allows for three melody tracks with up to 16 patterns of 64 steps, as well as a drum track which has 16 Sub-tracks also with up to 64 steps each, that can be played, chained and edited in a variety of ways.

This sequencer may prove to be the heart of your modular synth setup, or perhaps the new brain of your Volca collection.

Alongside the hardware, buyers will get a selection of free software (though the paragraph seems lifted straight from that of the Volca Sample as seen below).

Assuming this is correct for the SQ-64 as well and just a typing error, expect to get Izotope Ozone Elements, Skoove, and Reason Lite.

You can view the product here.

The post Korg announces SQ-64 polyphonic step sequencer appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

There are many online tools that can automatically master your track, but today I am going to show you a really cool free mastering tool called Matchering 2.0.

Available on GitHub here, Matchering 2.0 is a “novel containerised web application and Python library for audio matching and mastering”. It can be compared to premium tools such as LANDR and eMastered.

Simply put, it will take your mix and make it sound more like a song of your choosing (with regard to the master mix).

What version to choose?

It consists of two parts: Matchering Core and Matchering Web.

Matchering Core: A separate module for automated reference mastering based entirely on open technologies (Python, Numpy), which can be inserted into any program by any developer for free!

Matchering Web: A client for using Matchering Core inside the browser. It turns out that this is a self-hosted LANDR / eMastered alternative!

How does Matchering 2.0 work?

It works by comparing your track (target track) with a reference track (one you have selected that sounds amazing). It will then work on matching the target track’s RMS, frequency response, peak amplitude, and stereo.

It does this with various stages, including normalisation, Mid/Side (M/S) processing, and splitting track and finding section RMS values. Here it takes every section above the RMS value to differentiate drops and breaks from builds. It then matches them to a normalised value.

SEE ALSO: Ableton Utility’s Hidden Mid-Side processing mode

After that, an equalisation stage takes FFT values and detects frequency responses to match them on each, the Mid and Side tracks separately. Providing a “very precise matching of the stereo width as a bonus”.

It then reanalyses the RMS and adds a brickwall limiter, and re-normalises the audio.

One interesting point about it’s process is that at the splitting stage, it splits the song into 15s intervals. It does this because 15s is the length of time for 8 bars (normally changes occur after 8 bars in EDM) at 128bpm.

The developers note that the software could be “slightly” improved by analysing BPM and setting the timing of splits to the BPM instead, however say that 15s intervals actually work and the results are “already good”.

This video shows it in action, and despite deliberate attempts to make it harder, the tool still managed to do a good job of matching the un-mastered track with the reference.

How did Matchering come to life?

I spoke to Sergey Grishakov, a mastering engineer and developer of Matchering 2.0.

When working on mastering songs, he noticed that his “actions are repeated from order to order”, leading him to wonder if he could automate his routine.

That led to the original Matchering arising in 2017. It received some coverage from music sites, but back then it was a paid service.

Sergey explained what happened to the original project: “Our main competitors were LANDR and eMastered. But due to some circumstances (e.g. the lack of investors), we could not compete with them, and the project was closed.”

The project was far from dead though, and received a breath of life when the code was moved onto GitHub. Sergey said it was the right decision, and the project was revived by contributors to the code.

The project was fully reincarnated this year (2020) with Matchering 2.0.

The post This open-source mastering tool is free…and it actually works great! appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Ableton have release the upcoming release of Live 11, the latest edition of one of the most popular DAWs on the market today.

With much-needed features such as comping and the addition of several new devices, Live 11 is a welcome update for Ableton users.

Set for release in early 2021, new users can also get a 20% discount on Live 10, complete with a free upgrade to Live 11 when it releases. There really isn’t a better time to jump on the Ableton bus.

SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between Compressor and Glue Compressor

How much is Ableton Live 11?

Download versions of Ableton Live 11 will cost €79/$99 USD for Live Intro, €349 EUR/$449 USD for Live Standard and €599/$749 USD for Live Suite.

Existing Ableton users will be able to log into their account to see upgrade pricing.

Ableton Live 11 NEW FEATURES

Ableton have added a video highlighting the main updates to Live these include comping where you can record multiple takes in lanes – a much needed feature for vocalists and people recording live instruments.

It also includes MPE, which allows you to use your MPE controller and edit MPE data for better hardware integration.

One of the coolest new features will sit well with bands who use Ableton in their sets. Live 11 will be able to follow the tempo of the band and keep up allowing for tighter performances and better creativity options.

One of my favourite features is the ability to store the state of Macros, meaning you can have your own “preset folder” in the Macro itself. You can now also randomise Macro values.

A huge gripe I had with the Macros in Live 10 was the fact that you HAD to have eight of them in view, and you couldn’t have any more. Not in Live 11. With the update you can now configure your Macros to control between one and 16 parameters, simplifying the look if you only want a one-knob control.

For those looking to gain new creative inspiration, you can now set note probabilities, meaning they won’t necessarily play each time, opening you up to new ideas and variations. Velocity probability can also be set in a similar manner.

New sounds are another great reason to consider the upgrade. Ableton has partnered with Spitfire Audio to include a whole wealth of new audio samples in Live 11 – as well as updating existing packs.

New devices in Ableton Live 11

New Instruments in Ableton Live 11

Live 11 will include six new instruments developed by Dillon Bastan, which are inspired by natural and physical processes to generate unique and “playful” sounds.

I am particularly excited about the Tree Tone instrument and the absolutely gorgeous sounds it is making in the demo.

There are also more conventional sounds added: an Upright Piano, Brass Quartet, and String Quartet.

Conclusion

Ableton have added a lot of much-needed improvements to their already smooth-running DAW. These improvements will make producers’ lives easier and allow for more creative freedom.

The added instruments are a welcome inclusion, especially the Inspired By Nature series, which is a really cool idea – if not a bit obscure for some mainstream producers.

MIDI compositions will be a lot more interesting with the new note and velocity probability features, and the streamlined Macros will make mixing and producing even smoother than before.

We recommend the current upgrade offers if you can afford it and love the sound of the new features. If nothing tickles your fancy here though, the upgrade price may be a bit too steep to justify it.

The post Ableton 11 to be released soon. Here’s what’s new… appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

FireSonic have unveiled their newest VST plugin – FireCharger – with the goal of using smart algorithms to enhance and supercharge your sound.

FireCharger includes emulations of analogue tape and advanced exciters for spectral charging and “instantly bettering the sound”.

Audio Ordeal reviewed a copy of the plugin and I can confirm that it does just that.

Having tested the plugin on drums, basses and synths, I can say (in my personal opinion) that it works best on drums. The main thing that pops out is the added brightness to the sounds running through the plugin, as frequencies are enhanced and excited.

One thing that really stood out to me was how well it worked on tracks with reverb. While I normally advocate placing reverb on the sends, I found this plugin really brought out a lively character when placed immediately after a reverb plugin.

I’d recommend you watch out though and make use of the Bypass feature because this plugin does take out some of the punch of certain transients even at low levels.

About FireCharger

It’s creators say it works by analysing audio material “to get it as close as possible to what its active audio engineering creators consider to be ideal”, resulting in a “better-balanced richer sound”.

SEE ALSO: Native Instruments Supercharger GT – Compressor Review

The plugin is designed to be scalable to fit any screen, and for quick use, the single Dry/Wet knob is said to suffice.

DRY/WET defines overall level of enhancement, starting with CHARGE, which is the main control for FireCharger’s spectral dynamics processing: smooth and improve the signal with one knob and its intelligent analysing and processing algorithm.

ANODIZE adjusts the amount of energy that the treated track(s) will temporarily gain using the CHARGE when required. But be careful not to burn the track(s) being treated!

Meanwhile, MAGNETIZE controls the advanced vintage tube tape machine saturation simulation, making it possible to add additional warmth and a live feel to the sound being treated.

The TONE control is a “special sophisticated dynamic height exciter”, helping higher frequencies become more pronounced and making the treated track(s) become brighter sounding as a result.

FireCharger also comes with input and output peak meters, and the developers recommend that users keep their input level between -10dB and -30dB for optimal results.

The developers describe it as a versatile plugin, with applications in both mastering and individual track enhancement:

“Use FireCharger as a mastering plug-in — positioned at the end of the host DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) output chain — as well as to improve single tracks.

“Whatever way anyone chooses to use it, rest assured that it will add body and brightness to acoustic guitars and vocals, improve drums and bass guitar tracks, and charge electric guitar performances. Put it on everything!”

FireSonic’s FireCharger is available to purchase for a time-limited introductory promo price of €19.00 EUR until December 6, 2020 — rising thereafter to €129.00 EUR — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible audio plug-in directly from United Plugins here:  https://unitedplugins.com/FireCharger/

The post Intelligent algorithms could supercharge your mix with FireCharger VST appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

KORG have unveiled their latest music workstation synth, the Nautilus, featuring nine synth engines and a full-colour 7-inch touchscreen screen.

Coming in three configurations, the 61 and 73-key Nautilus offers synth action, while the 88-key version offers a more piano-like hammer action.

Expected to start shipping early next year, Nautilus will cost £1949 for the 61-note keyboard, £2199 for the 73-note version, and £2549 for the 88-note version.

Nautilus harnesses nine synthesizer/sound engines into a single, integrated musical instrument.

Dynamic voice allocation and new technologies allow all sound engines to smoothly share a stable, enhanced hardware platform.

SEE ALSO: How to speed up your music production PC

It features a 16-track MIDI + 16-track audio sequencer and recorder to build entire songs and projects.

The 16-track audio recorder simultaneously captures up to four tracks of 16-bit/24-bit uncompressed data at a sampling rate of 48 kHz.

There are also 16 internal effects, with 12 inserts, 2 master effects, and 2 effects applied to all tracks at the final stage of mixing.

Synthesis Types

• SGX-2: Premium Piano (Acoustic Piano)
• EP-1: MDS Electric Piano (Electric Piano)
• HD-1: High Definition Synthesizer (PCM)
• AL-1: Analog Synthesizer (Analog Modeling)
• CX-3: Tonewheel Organ (Tonewheel Organ Modeling)
• STR-1: Plucked String (Physical Modeling)
• MOD-7: Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer (VPM Synthesis)
• MS-20EX: Component Modeling Technology (Analog Modeling)
• PolysixEX: Component Modeling Technology (CMT Analog Modeling)

Nautilus also offers 14 “build-in expansion PCM libraries” ranging from a variety of pianos to historical keyboards and synths, as well as drums, SFX, and hits.

The 7-inch touchscreen (though curiously listed as 8-inch in some marketing material) has a resolution of 800x480p.

In addition to simply selecting a sound or choosing a parameter with the touch of a finger, the enhanced Touch-Drag ability allows more detailed control of parameter values.

Interactive instruments and panel graphics provide the ability to do everything from adjusting the lid of a grand piano to connecting patch cable on a semi-modular synthesizer model.

Alongside the touchscreen where you can select main settings and sounds, there are six RT (real-time) knobs at the top left of the panel. These give you direct control over changes to the PROG and COMBI sounds.

A variety of functions are assigned to each knob that lets you enjoy making changes to sounds, such as the filter cutoff and effect depth, the gate time, tempo and swing of the arpeggiator or drum track, the type of snare drum and more. 

Sampling is also possible, and the Nautilus is capable of sampling it’s own performances. AIFF, WAV, SoundFont 2.0, and AKAI S1000/3000 format samples can be loaded into memory via USB memory.

Additionally, you can use a USB Ethernet adapter to exchange large amounts of sample data with your computer at high speed. Instruments or samples that you’ve previously created on your PC can be used to construct a music production setup based on just the Nautilus itself.

The Nautilus comes with a diverse variety of music software from Izotope including “Ozone Elements” which lets you not only create songs but also master them using AI, “Skoove” which will help you improve your keyboard playing skills, “Reason Lite” DAW software, as well as software synths from KORG and other brands.

The post Korg launches Nautilus Music Workstation keyboards and synths appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

This tutorial in Reaktor Core shows how to select different oscillators or sounds based on the MIDI note input. It would work great for making drum machines in Reaktor or other keyboard-controlled, pitch independent sounds.

The post Video: How to start signal routing in Reaktor Core appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Mastering your DAW of choice takes years of practice and use, but there are some shortcuts to help you become a power user.

Today’s guide will talk about the various ways you can become more efficient in your DAW which will save you time and more importantly, let you turn out more projects.

Another key thing here is that having a solid grasp of your DAW means that you will not spend as much time setting up and working through menus. This will help you by preventing ideas escaping as you are fiddling with settings.

1. Learn Shortcuts

Shortcuts are essential for any software but I would argue especially for creative applications. They allow you to get things done quickly and easily.

Every DAW has a range of shortcuts, and while some (like Ableton) aren’t changeable, others allow custom shortcuts.

Consider Reaper for example. Not only can you completely reset all shortcuts to your choosing, you can also chain shortcuts together to single hotkeys.

READ MORE: Ableton shortcuts guide – what are they and when to use?

Regardless of how your DAW approaches shortcuts, one of the best uses of your time is learning them.

In my time teaching people how to use DAWs, one of the main things I’ve seen is that those using shortcuts are seen as wizards by those who don’t. You can really speed up your workflow with them and editing becomes a super smooth process.

2. MIDI Control and Gaming Mouse

Following on from the shortcuts thread, having additional surfaces and controls is a great way to speed up your workflow.

Many professional sound engineers use hardware mapped to their DAW to help with mixing. This hardware normally comes with faders and other tactile controls to accurately dial in settings and commands.

If you have a MIDI keyboard or DJ controller, you will already be ahead, as both can be mapped to various controls and speed up your workflow.

If you are looking for a MIDI keyboard, consider getting one with additional knobs and pads on it so you can add shortcuts to them and speed up the process.

For more advanced control, nothing beats a dedicated mixing controller such as the Akai APC series for Ableton or a surface with motorised faders that react to automation, such as the Presonus Faderport.

Another great option is to get yourself a gaming mouse with additional controls on it. I use this religiously with various software and it makes editing a blast.

Grabbing a gaming mouse with 12-assignable buttons on the thumb may sound like a lot to learn, but it becomes second nature very fast.

Mice like these are fantastic for various tasks and many have several profiles on them so you can have different settings for each application.

For example, I have an editing profile in Reaper which allows me to run certain scripts to remove silence in podcast recordings. I also have one for writing which gives me features such as highlighting whole lines and making them bold and inserting hyperlinks.

Remember, unless you are an avid gamer, you won’t need to splash out for the most expensive options with a programmable mouse, but you should look for quality when buying MIDI controllers.

3. Spend time in the manual

I’m sorry, you probably didn’t want to hear this one, but it works. The problem with a lot of complex software is that there isn’t enough space on the screen to show all features at once.

As such, you may not even know some features exist or how to use them unless you familiarise yourself with the manual.

A good example of this was a previous article I wrote about Ableton’s Utility plugin which has a “hidden” Mid/Side mode“. A lot of readers had no idea it was there and I believe this is Ableton’s fault. It is a feature mentioned in the manual, but the effect appears so simple that most people would skim right over that part.

The lesson is, there are potentially dozens of features like this that you may not know about unless you browse through the manual and find the “secrets”.

The alternative to this is searching the web for articles with the (admittedly clickbait) titles such as “hidden features in Ableton” or “things you didn’t know in Logic Pro”.

4. Spend time setting up templates and custom macros

This can be a major time-saver. Pretty much every DAW allows some form of templates which you can save and load up for each project. This means you can have all the tracks you always start off with ready to go.

If you think about it, every time you start a blank project, you tend to do the same things, whether it be setting up the tracks and sends/receives, or having to add instruments manually.

READ MORE: How to make a super easy podcast editing template in REAPER

If, for instance, you always use Serum in your productions, why not create a default template with five or six instances already loaded, as well as tracks for drums and sidechain routing already dialled in?

Another thing to get on top of is custom macros. Different DAWs do it differently. In Ableton , for example, you can group effects into a rack which has eight assignable controls. In Reaper, you can save your FX into chains.

Remember most of your mixing will start with the same steps. Perhaps you have a high-pass filter above 20Hz then an EQ, then a compressor. You can (in most DAWs) set this up so it loads by default on every new track.

You could also see if your DAW lets you save custom tracks for different instruments. That way you could load up a vocal track with all the effects you need already in it.

Going further, if you use the same singer or instrument regularly, you could even save the same mixing setting within the rack so you don’t even have to mix it from scratch each time.

This can work great with albums, where you want the drums or the singer to sound the same each time.

5. Share your projects and learn from others

Another great trick is one that can be quite tricky. If you can find some friends who use the same DAW as you and share your tracks for them to play with. Not only does this generate endless remix potential, but you also get to see how other people use their DAW.

This is a really enlightening process as you see them achieve the same goals in different ways. It can also highlight some cool tricks which you never knew and gives you plenty of things to chat about.

Collaborating on tracks is another way to achieve this, one idea might be to each start a song and get halfway through then swap projects.

If you don’t have access to projects, there are plenty of templates online which you can use to practice mixing and tweaking, all the while, learning from someone else’s workflow.

The post How to become a power user of your favourite DAW appeared first on Audio Ordeal.